Missing Pieces
by starry night blue
Summary: [COMPLETE] When Shigure is asked to take care of nineyearold Yuki and Kyo, he feels that the job is too much for him, so he looks up a babysitter in the paper, and in comes the Honda girls...
1. Prologue

**D/C: I don't own Fruits Basket.**

**Hello!! Here's another FB story of mine, when I came up with the idea of this one, I liked it so much and started writing it right away! Anyway, I do hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Happy reading!!**

**Missing Pieces**

**Prologue:**

Shigure was definitely not liking this. Cool or not cool, no one in their right mind would be able to stand the racket those two kids were making. He cursed the minute he had agreed to take care of them. Several more yells came from the living room, and he could hear the definite sound of something being smashed. He sighed and went back to the living room, holding a tray of snacks for the boys.

'Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun...why don't you settle down? Look, I've brought you snacks,' he told them pleasantly.

The orange-haired kid glared up at him with apparent disgust. 'Look, you! I don't want any of your pathetic snacks, alright?' he snapped. 'Leave me alone!'

The other boy, although much more polite, was still capable of making a rude comment. 'Shigure-san, if you think we're still kids and need to be given snacks to settle down, then you're as naive as the kids you assume us to be,' he said coldly.

Shigure was starting to feel exhausted. 'You're right, boys,' he admitted. 'I'm sorry.'

Tray still in his hands, he left the room and went back to the kitchen. He placed the tray on the counter next to the morning paper and heaved another heavy sigh; he knew he had no right to complain; after all, wasn't he the one who agreed to take care of them while their parents went to visit Akito? An advertisement in the paper caught his eye and he picked it up. He studied the ad with interest.

_This could be the solution to my problem._

He picked up the paper and headed out to the hallway. He picked up the phone receiver and dialed the number mentioned in the ad. He waited a few moments before some one finally picked up. 'Hello? I'm calling about your ad...' he said politely.

-

When the doorbell rang half an hour later, Shigure particularly ran to get the door. He opened it and saw a young woman with bright orange hair standing in the doorway. 'Hello! Thank God you're here! I didn't think I could last another minute!' he exclaimed.

The woman looked taken aback by this greeting. 'Er...hi! I'm Kyoko Honda,' she said.

Shigure realized how weird he must've sounded. Chuckling, he rubbed the back of his head and held out his other hand. 'Sorry about that,' he apologized. 'I'm Shigure Sohma. I'm the one who called you about the babysitting job.'

Kyoko smiled and shook his hand. 'Oh, by the way, I brought my daughter along with me,' she told him, and a little girl with brown hair and big brown eyes peered out at him from behind her mother's legs. 'Is that okay with you, or...?'

'No, no, it's fine,' he assured her. He bent down and smiled down at the little girl. 'Hello. My name's Shigure.'

The girl smiled shyly and bowed her head slightly. 'Pleased to meet you, Shigure-san,' she murmured. 'My name is Tohru Honda.'

Kyoko clapped her hands together. 'Well, now that we've gotten over with the introductions, I would really love to meet those little rascals of yours!' she said excitedly. 'Where are they? I can't wait to see them!'

Shigure smiled weakly at her; he doubted she'd retain the same attitude after she really met them. He gestured for them to follow him and he guided them down the corridor to the living room, where the boys were still arguing. He slid the paper door open and walked inside. 'Boys, I'd like you to meet some one,' he announced, and they both stopped their squabbling and looked up. 'This is Kyoko-san, and she's going to be your babysitter for the day...and this is her daughter, Tohru-chan. Kyoko-san...this here is Kyo-kun, and the other one is Yuki-kun.'

'Hey there!' Kyoko said cheerfully.

'Hello,' Tohru said, quietly, bowing her head.

Kyo and Yuki both watched the two females warily, continuously shooting angry looks at Shigure. At the start, they both felt that Shigure was somewhat stupid, but now their doubts were confirmed. Bringing two strange females to a Sohma house was the dumbest thing anyone could do.

It was Kyo who spoke up first. 'We don't need no damn babysitter, Shigure; we're not some kids!' he said heatedly.

Yuki smiled politely. 'Nothing personal, Kyoko-san, but we don't like having babysitters around,' he told her, and shot a glare at Shigure. 'We told Shigure that when we came here, but he obviously doesn't listen.'

Kyoko frowned at them and placed both her hands on her hips. 'You're rude, both of you. Aren't they, Tohru?' she said, and her daughter nodded shyly. Kyoko grinned. 'But I can fix that! We're going to have lots of fun together!!'

Shigure could tell from the boys' expressions that they'd rather die. 'Well, I'll leave you guys alone; I really have some important business I must attend to,' he told them, and Kyo and Yuki shot him scathing looks. He smiled and waved. 'Have fun.'

He closed the sliding door on them and headed towards his office; at least he could have a little bit of piece and quiet now. He knew that it probably wasn't the smartest idea, bringing a female babysitter to look after the boys, but the headache which was growing decided otherwise.

-

**A/N: Sooo? What do you think of this so far? I know it's rather short, but this is the prologue, after all. I promise that the next chapters are going to be much longer. But until mu next update, could you please review? I know it'll make me update faster! (hint, hint)**

_- S. N. B. _


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own Fruits Basket.**

**Hello!! I'm back with my second chapter!! I'm so glad you all liked the prologue, although I was hoping it would get a little bit more attention, but never mind that now. I'll stop whining and let you nice readers get over with this chappie! Happy reading!!**

**Missing Pieces**

**Chapter 1:**

Kyoko looked down at the two boys in front of her. She had to say that they were some pretty interesting-looking kids; one had bright orange hair and the other looked more or less like a very pretty girl. When she had first came in with Tohru, they had been arguing like anything, almost looking like they were throwing daggers at each other, but now, they had both forgotten their arguments and were watching them warily, which was weird, because the last time she had checked, she still looked like a normal human being.

'So...what should we do now?' she asked them. She looked down at her daughter. 'Tohru? Any ideas?'

'Um...well, we could play a game,' she suggested.

Kyoko grinned. 'A game! That's an excellent idea! But...what game could we play?' she murmured.

The orange-haired kid rolled his eyes. '_Please! _Games are only for babies! Everyone knows that!' he said irritably.

Kyoko frowned; the boys weren't cooperating at all. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought. She sighed. 'Well...we could play a game of cards,' she suggested. 'Everyone likes a quiet game of cards...and it's not a babies' game, is it?'

Yuki was looking a bit uncertain. 'Are you sure we should play cards?' he asked. 'Isn't that supposed to be a game for grown-ups?'

Kyoko cupped a hand around her ear. 'What's this I hear? Didn't you two say that you weren't kids a few seconds ago?' she demanded, and they both became red in the face. Kyoko smiled triumphantly and reached inside her handbag. 'Good. Now, it's lucky that I always carry a deck of cards around with me. Here it is! Let's play!!'

After a couple of games, Kyoko felt that she had broken some of the tension around them, and the boys looked like they were enjoying themselves. Of course, Kyo kept losing and yelling his head off, and Yuki kept winning the games...although it slightly annoyed her that he kept really cool about it, but she guessed that was just how his nature was. She kept glancing at her daughter, and was quite relieved to see that she was smiling; she had been worried about her since Tohru had always had a problem with boys.

'You jerk!! You're cheating!!' Kyo exploded. 'How the hell do you keep winning every single game?'

'Just because you're an idiot doesn't mean I have to explain myself to you,' Yuki said coolly.

'Oy, oy! Don't get too worked up about some game, alright? Sheesh!' Kyoko said, rather angrily. She massaged her temples. 'Alright, if you're gonna fight like that I'm gonna make sure you get punished, am I clear?'

The boys nodded dully.

'Good. Okay, let me see,' she murmured. She looked around at her daughter. 'Tohru, sweetheart, what would you like to play? We could play something other than cards if you want. So, take your pick.'

Tohru looked a bit alarmed at the thought of having to choose a game herself, but Kyoko just gave her an encouraging smile. She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking about a game to play. Kyo rolled his eyes, and Kyoko, noticing that, flicked a stack of cards at him.

'Hey! What's the big idea?' he said angrily.

'No one makes fun of my daughter and gets away with it, alright?' she said sharply, and he just scowled. 'Right, I've decided. You need to be punished. Get up and stand on one foot for five whole minutes. Come on, hurry up.'

Kyo was looking outraged. 'What? You have no right to...!' he exploded.

'I have the right to do anything I want with you; I could even make you hop around on all fours like a rabbit,' she told him, and he simply looked mortified at the thought. She smiled. 'It's your choice; either stand on one foot or be a rabbit. Up you go now.'

Looking really irritated, Kyo got up to his feet. Taking a deep breath, he lifted one foot off of the floor and remained standing on the other. She heard a soft chuckle from Yuki, and without even looking at him, she gestured at him to follow in Kyo's footsteps. Grudgingly, the kid got up and took the same pose as Yuki.

Kyoko glanced at her watch to time the process. 'Five minutes for Pretty Boy, and four minute, five seconds for Orangey,' she announced, and the two looked rather affronted to being called by those names. 'So I'm feeling rather hungry. I'm just going to go to the kitchen and get us something to eat, and I want you all to behave yourselves, understand? Yuki and Kyo, if I find out you've cheated, I'll turn you into rabbits, okay?'

The three kids nodded simultaneously. Kyoko got up to her feet and left the room to search for the kitchen. She found it...and also found Shigure standing there, fixing himself a snack. He looked around and smiled when he saw her come in.

'Kyoko-san! How are the boys doing?' he asked, sounding rather anxious.

'They're okay,' she assured him. 'Although...the continuous arguing is starting to drive me nuts.'

'Ah...I'm sorry about that,' he said, smiling apologetically.

Kyoko shrugged. 'So...they aren't really your kids, are they?' she said.

'No, they aren't...thank God for that,' he replied, sounding genuinely relieved. 'They're my relatives. Their parents just dropped them off at my place for the day, because they had some important meeting to attend, and couldn't find some one else to look after them.'

'Right,' she said, nodding her head. She eyed the rice-cakes he was making. 'Er...are you going to have that?' she asked casually, and he just stared, bewildered, at her.

-

Tohru was starting to feel really awkward, sitting there in the living room with two strange boys, who were standing on one foot each, who didn't look like they even wanted to have her around...which was really unfortunate, because she thought that those two looked pretty interesting. Yuki Sohma and Kyo Sohma. Even though they were related, they looked like they really hated each other; they had done nothing but fight ever since she and her mother had gotten here.

She finally decided to break the silence. 'Um...' she started, and they both looked up at her expectantly. However, when they did that, Tohru ended up feeling self-conscious and frightened, and she lowered her gaze again. 'Nothing. Sorry.'

'Jeez! If you don't have anything to say, then why'd you open your mouth in the first place?' the boy named Kyo said, irritably, and she winced. He looked like he was having enough trouble standing on one foot, and almost lost his balance when he spoke. 'Girls!'

Yuki, however, seemed to be really at ease with the whole punishment. He frowned at Kyo. 'Don't yell at her like that,' he snapped. He turned to Tohru. 'I apologize for this idiot's behavior, Honda-san.'

Tohru blushed. 'Ah! No, it's okay,' she assured him.

Anyone would've thought that it ended at that, but Kyo didn't seem to want to let it go. 'Hey!' he snapped at Yuki. 'Who do you think you're calling an idiot?'

Yuki frowned at him. 'See? Now that just goes to prove how stupid you are,' he told him. 'There are only two people other than me in this room; you and Honda-san, and I wouldn't call Honda-san an idiot...so the answer would be; you. You're the idiot.'

Kyo flushed. 'Don't act like you're so smart, you damn brat!! I didn't need you to explain anything to me!' he yelled. Then, to Tohru's surprise, he jabbed a finger in her direction. 'And don't go acting so polite with her! Calling her Honda-san and all that crap! You make me sick!'

Yuki rolled his eyes. 'Well, you do know the solution to that, don't you?' he said, irritated. 'You could just leave!'

'And why should I be the one to leave, eh?' Kyo shot back. 'This house is not yours to decide who gets to stay and who gets to leave! And you know that I would've left if I had saying in it!!'

He swung his fist at Yuki, but instead, he lost his balance and crashed down to the floor. The other boy smirked. 'Clumsy idiot,' he said quietly.

'Why, you damn rat!!' Kyo shouted.

He scrambled up from the floor, and flung himself at Yuki, and they both crashed to the floor. Kyo tried to pin his opponent to the ground, but Yuki tossed him away. Then he quickly flipped him over on his back, sat on him and pinned his arms behind his back. Tohru was watching this silently.

Yuki seemed to have lost his calm and polite demeanor. 'Say you're sorry!!' he snapped. 'Say you're sorry for tackling me to the floor, or else!'

'Or else what?' Kyo snorted. 'You going to run crying to your parents? Or to Akito? I don't care! You've always been such a snitch, anyway!!' He put on a voice which resembled Yuki's. '_Mommy! Kyo pushed me! Akito, tell Kyo to stop yelling at me! _What a baby, always relying on others!'

'Shut up!' Yuki exploded.

'Stop...please stop!' Tohru suddenly cried out, and they both paused and looked around at her. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, and she kept sobbing. She bowed her head and clasped her hands in her lap. 'Please don't fight because of me. I'd hate to see the two of you fighting, so...please, could you stop fighting? You could yell at me, but please don't yell at each other, okay?'

The two boys stared at her, neither knowing what to say.

Blushing faintly, Tohru hastily wiped away her tears with the back of her hands. Then she smiled at them, and scooped up the cards. 'Shall we play one more time?' she asked, and they both nodded automatically. 'How about Dai-Hin-Min?'

Yuki slowly released Kyo's arms and got off of him. 'Uh, wait, we...we can't,' he murmured. 'We have to stand on one foot all over again.'

Kyo got up to his feet, carefully avoiding Tohru's gaze. 'Yeah...your mother will yell at us if we don't,' he said quietly.

Tohru smiled at them. 'You don't have to do it all over again! I won't tell my mother, I promise!' she said cheerfully. 'But, let's play when you're done, okay?'

They nodded again, and resumed their punishment. At that moment, Kyoko came back into the room, holding a tray of rice cakes and juice cartons. She frowned at the boys, before looking at Tohru. 'Sweetheart, did they put their feet down?' she asked her.

Tohru grinned. 'No, they didn't!' she replied.

She threw a secret wink at them, and they both smiled gratefully at her. Things seemed to have finally picked up.

-

**A/N: Done! So, was it worth the wait? I thought it was really cute! (smiles) But, it's your opinion, and I'd like to know what you think, okay? So press that little button and send me a review!! Thanks!**

_- S. N. B. _


	3. Chapter 2

**D/C: I don't own Fruits Basket.**

**Hello!! Wow! It's been ages since I updated this story, ne? To tell you the truth, I had actually forgotten about it, but then I was checking my account, and I found it there, lying solitary and incomplete. (Right; that was dramatic). Anyway, thank you all for the reviews you have sent me last time, and now, without further ado; I'll leave you to read this chapter! Enjoy!!**

**Missing Pieces**

**Chapter 2:**

"Did you hear what the doctor told you, Yuki? He said that you're a weak little boy who won't get better at all if he doesn't eat well and get out to play. I was really embarrassed by you; I didn't want my boy compared to a sickly girl!"

Yuki just nodded silently. He was used to these harsh comments which came from his mother, but that didn't make him feel any better about it. Usually, after an encounter with his mother, Yuki would rush out to the Main House to see Akito, who would then soothe him and comfort him, and they'd sit and play and draw together. Yuki liked Akito; he was his best friend in the whole world…or so were his feelings until he had met Tohru Honda.

Yuki hadn't been able to stop thinking about that girl ever since he had met her last Sunday, and whenever she came to his mind, he would smile. That had happened yesterday while he was playing with Akito, and the latter had demanded that he knows what the cause of his smile was, and when Yuki told him, he became irritable for some reason, and said, "That girl is an idiot!! I don't want you to see her anymore!"

And that's when Yuki started crying, and then he got an attack, and had to be taken to the hospital.

He was now being dragged by his mother out of the hospital building, after having had to spend his night there. She was looking extremely irritable, and he knew that it wasn't just because of what the doctor had said, but because she was worried that Akito, the head of the house, wouldn't want anything to do with him now, since he saw how sickly he could be.

"Honestly! Didn't I tell you not to get sick in front of Akito-san?" she snapped.

Yuki didn't say anything. Much as he hated to admit it, she was right. He was a weak and sickly boy. He didn't like to cry in front of others, but he couldn't help it…whenever he got yelled at or scolded or hurt, he'd start crying. Akito told him that he was a cry-baby once.

"Yuki…kun?"

He paused. He looked around sharply; he knew he recognized that voice! And there he saw her…Tohru. She was just passing with her mother by the hospital gate, and apparently she had seen him. She was now waving at him.

Yuki's hand slipped from his mother's grasp, and against her protests, he hurried forward to Tohru. His face was gleaming with suppressed delight. "Honda-san!" he said excitedly. "What are you doing here?"

Tohru smiled just as happily. "I live in the neighborhood, and mother was just taking me to the park," she told him. She looked past him to his mother. "Is that _your_ mother?"

Yuki remembered with a jolt that his mother was still standing there. "Um…yes," he replied.

"Oh, but she's so pretty!" Tohru squealed. She was hoping from one foot to the other now. "Mom, can I say hi to her? Can I say hi, Yuki-kun?"

Yuki hesitated, but it was no use, anyway; his mother was already making her way toward them. She frowned at him and grabbed his arm painfully. "Yuki! What is the meaning of this?" she demanded. "When did I let you go and talk with strangers like this?"

Kyoko, who hadn't said anything just yet, and was merely smiling at the two kids, looked mortified at the tone of Yuki's mom. "Ma'am! I hardly see any reason to treat your son like that!" she said, sounding agitated.

His mother scowled. "Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?" she asked coldly.

"I'm not a stranger, okay? I happen to know your son! I babysat for him and his cousin last Sunday!" Kyoko shot back.

Mrs. Sohma paused. "A babysitter?" she repeated. "What are you talking about? Yuki and Kyo were left with Shigure last Sunday! We didn't leave them with you!"

"Mother, Shigure-niisan called up a babysitter to watch us because he had some work to do," Yuki said quietly. "Honda-san and her daughter came to babysit for us."

His mother didn't say anything for a moment, and then she managed a wry smile. "Is that so? Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Honda-san; thank you for looking after my son," she said coolly. She gripped Yuki's shoulder tightly, and he winced. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I have a business meeting to attend, and I don't want to be late. Come on, Yuki."

Yuki sighed. "Good bye," he murmured.

He allowed his mother to stir him back to the car, although he was longing to stay back with Tohru and her mother. He hated going to his mother's business meetings; he would just sit outside the meeting room for almost three hours, merely dangling his legs over the edge of a chair, until his mother came out and took him back home.

"Wait! Sohma-san!"

His mother halted, sighed irritably and looked around. She smiled sweetly at Kyoko and Tohru. "Yes?" she said.

"Well, you said you're going to a business meeting, and you probably wouldn't want your son to remain all by himself while you attend it, do you?" Kyoko said.

"I…" she started.

"Why don't you let him come with us?" Kyoko said cheerfully.

"What?" the other woman said, sounding incredulous.

"Oh, yes, please! Please let Yuki-kun play with us, Sohma-san!" Tohru pleaded.

"We'll just be in the park which is next to the hospital, I suppose you know it?" Kyoko said, and his mother nodded…rather reluctantly. "You can go to your meeting, and when you come back, you can pick him up from there. What do you think?"

His mother seemed to cringe, but then she sighed and nodded. "Well, okay, because I don't want to have him whining to me while I'm in the meeting," she muttered. "But you can only take him to the park! If I come and don't find you in the park, you will wish you never even met my son!"

Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "Okay," she agreed. "But don't you think you should cool it down a notch? I don't think those people in the meeting will like to deal with you when you're all cranky like this."

Mrs. Sohma gave her a strained sort of smile. "I'll be going now," she told her in flat tones. "Good bye."

The three of them watched her in silence, while she went back to the car, climbed inside, and left without a second glance back at them. Yuki's shoulders slumped when she left, and he tried to avoid looking at Tohru and her mother. He didn't like it when his mother met his friends; she was always bound to do or say something which would make the people around dislike him. He now feared that his new friend might dislike him, too.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

Kyoko ruffled his hair. "Eh? What are you apologizing for, kiddo? You didn't do anything," she asked in her same cheery tones. She gave him a warning look. "Although...I am going to be angry with you if you decline my offer for ice cream! Do you like ice cream?"

Yuki slowly smiled. "Yes, I like it," he replied.

"Right, then! Ice cream, it is!" Kyoko announced. "Let's go search for that ice cream van!"

Tohru slipped a hand through his and beamed at him. "We're going to have so much fun, Yuki-kun!" she told him, sounding almost reassuring.

"_Hai!_"

-

Nearly two hours later, Yuki had been already treated to ice cream and lollipops. He was now swinging gently next to Tohru, while sharing a bag of pop corn between them. Kyoko had met a friend of hers, and they were chatting away at a close distance to the swings.

Yuki couldn't remember ever having this much fun before. He was never given the chance to make friends outside the main house, and it felt refreshing to be able to talk to someone who didn't know about his "secret". The only time he had played with kids before had ended up being a disaster, as every kid was sent off home with a modified memory, instead of cake and crackers and party hats.

"I'll ask mom to talk to your mother, so that she'd let you come out with us more often," Tohru told him, grinning. "Wouldn't that be great?"

"Yes, it would," he agreed.

Yuki knew that his mother would sooner abandon him on the streets than let Tohru and her mother near him again. She had probably only allowed him to stack back with the Hondas just so that she wouldn't damage her public image. It certainly wasn't a gesture of good will.

"Where would you like to go next time, Yuki-kun?" she prompted him.

Yuki thought for a moment. "The zoo," he finally said.

"You wish to go to the zoo?" Tohru asked.

Yuki had never been to a zoo before. His mother always told him that the animals in the zoo carried all sorts of diseases and germs, and since he was already a sickly boy, he would be bound to catch some of those germs. He knew she wouldn't let him this time either, but it felt nice to dwell on it.

"We could give peanuts to the monkeys, and we could watch the lions roar, and we could look up at the giraffes till our necks start to hurt, and we could talk to the parrots, and stare at the hugeness of the elephants," he said dreamily. He looked around and smiled at Tohru. "We could do all those things."

Tohru was watching him, starry-eyed. "That sounds amazing, Yuki-kun!" she exclaimed. "I would love to go to the zoo with you! You should ask your mother to come, too! Maybe she and mom will become good friends, and then we'll always go to the zoo together! It would be wonderful, wouldn't it?"

Yuki almost cried then, but he tried his best to fight back his tears. After all, he didn't want Tohru to think he was a cry-baby as well. But that fantasy Tohru was talking about, it sounded so incredible it hurt. And the fact that he could never turn that fantast into reality hurt him even more. He wished he could be like Tohru - someone from a normal family, who didn't have to bear with a curse and sickness.

"Yes...yes, it would," Yuki found himself saying it yet again.

Suddenly, they heard the loud honking of a car, and they automatically looked around. Yuki felt his heart sink; it was his mother. Even as he watched, the back door opened and the immaculate figure of his mother stepped out. She was looking around for him now, and Yuki almost wished he could hide behind those bushes. Her gaze finally fell on him, and she made her way briskly towards the swings.

"Yuki! What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "The doctor told you to take it easy, and now you're playing on the swings?"

He immediately jumped off of the swing, and stood still while his mother's figure towered above him. He could feel Tohru slipping off of her own swing, but he didn't dare look up. He was afraid that his mother was going to beat him in front of Tohru...afraid that Tohru might see how weak he is.

"Sohma-san!"

Yuki felt relief flooding him when he heard Kyoko's familiar voice. _Honda-san will make things better. She always does. _

"Honda-san, I thought you were going to look after my son while I was in my meeting?" his mother said sharply.

"That's what I've been doing," Kyoko replied. "The children had so much fun. They ate ice cream, and lollipops, and I'd just bought them pop corn..."

"Pop corn!" Mrs. Sohma said in alarm, and Yuki automatically hid the bag of pop corn behind his back. "Honda-san, do you call this proper care? Giving the kids all this candy and letting them play around and get dirty like that?"

"They're kids!" Kyoko cried out, exasperated. "Eating candy and getting dirty and having the best time of their lives is what they're supposed to do! You're not just supposed to take them with you to business meetings and have them eat their veggies! Kids only need to have fun."

Mrs. Sohma glared at her. "I don't need you to lecture me on child care, and neither do I want you filling my boy's head with such ideas," she said haughtily. She grabbed Yuki's hand and pulled him towards her. "Come on, Yuki; we're leaving."

"No, wait!" Tohru suddenly cried out. She was hiding behind Kyoko, but finally seemed to be able to muster up enough courage to address his mother. "Yuki-kun and I...we wanted to go to the zoo together! We wanted to feed peanuts to the monkeys, and we wanted to watch the lions roar, and...and look up at the giraffes till our necks hurt! Please, Sohma-san! Please let Yuki-kun come to the zoo with us!"

Yuki's mother was staring at her like she was deranged. "No, he can't," she said flatly.

"Oh...but you can come, too!" Tohru exclaimed with sudden inspiration. She smiled. "Didn't I tell you that? We wanted you to come, too! And then you and mom will become good friends!"

"Not bloody likely," Kyoko muttered under her breath.

Mrs. Sohma was starting to look irritated. "The zoo, out of all things? Honestly, where do you come up with such awful ideas?" she demanded.

Yuki hesitated, but then he tugged at his mother's hand. "Actually...actually, mother, it wasn't Honda-san's idea. It was my idea to go. Please, can we go?" he said timidly.

Mrs. Sohma drew in a sharp breath. "Obviously spending time with these people has had a bad effect on you, Yuki. I need to take you back to the Main House right away," she said firmly. She looked up at Kyoko. "I would appreciate it if you never came near my son again."

Yuki only managed a small wave at Tohru before his mother pulled him back to the car. As they walked further away from the Hondas, Kyoko seemed to want to issue a come-back, and she called after their backs, "Hey! Don't beat yourself up for being a bad mom!"

It was at that moment that his mother spat out the words which lashed at him like a bloody knife.

_"You will never see that girl again!" _

-

**A/N: Well, that was dramatic, ne? I still liked it, though; touching, right? Next chapter will have Kyo's alone time with Tohru! I'll try not to take ages to update next time! Ja ne!**

_- S. N. B. _


	4. Chapter 3

**D/C: I don't own Fruits Basket.**

**Ahh…I'm so sorry! I promised I wouldn't take ages to update, but I ended up doing just that! Gomen! It's just that I started university and sorta got caught up in things, and before I knew it, the story just slipped my mind again! Anyway, thank you all for the nice reviews you've sent me last time, and now, onto chapter 3! Enjoy!**

**Missing Pieces**

**Chapter 3:**

"Kyo, wait for me here. I'll be right back."

The orange-haired kid nodded at his guardian. Shishou ruffled his hair before turning and walking into the grocery shop. Kyo didn't mind that he was being left outside; he knew that Shishou didn't want him to come in with him for fear of him bumping into someone and transforming into his feline figure. Across from the road on which the grocery shop was, was a grassy slope which one descended to reach the river running below.

Kyo stood at the top of the slop, watching the river below. A year ago, he didn't know what a river even looked like. He only knew what the inside of his house appeared, and only saw the sights outside his window…which were mainly other houses. He never saw what a mountain looked like, or a river, or the ocean…but then his mother died, and Shishou came along, determined to show him everything. He was as good as his word. Kyo had never been happier.

He thought he heard a familiar laugh, and he looked around for the source of it. A brief smile touched his lips when he saw Tohru Honda crouched further along on the river bank, while she played with a little white kitten. He hadn't seen her at all since the day she came with her mother to Shigure's house, and he was delighted that she was here now. He was rather envious of Yuki, whom he heard Shishou say that he'd met a little girl in the park the other day, which had made Mrs. Sohma rather angry.

He particularly ran to Tohru now, but he was careful not to make a lot of noise, so as not to startle the girl. He knew the kitten wouldn't be afraid…if anything, it should jump into his lap from the moment it laid its bright green eyes on him. Sure enough, the kitten released a loud meow and sprinted towards him, and started rubbing against his legs. Tohru looked up, then, and her eyes fell on him.

"Hey…Tohru, right?" he said casually.

Tohru's confused expression broke into a huge grin, and she scrambled up to her feet. "Kyo-kun!" she exclaimed happily. "How wonderful to see you here!"

Kyo shoved his hands deep into his pockets, trying to appear his indifferent. "I'm just waiting for my…father to finish getting the groceries," he explained. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "He's just in that store up there."

"Why didn't you go in with him?" she asked with polite puzzlement.

"Well…I…um…don't like crowds," he lied.

Tohru's brown eyes widened. "But crowds are wonderful!" she said, her tone eager. "They're always so energetic, and fast, and so full of colors! Mum and I always sit down on a bench and try to imagine where each person is going, and what they are planning to do. It's so much fun!"

Kyo smiled wearily. "Is it?"

She nodded vigorously. "Yup!" she said. "Don't you do fun things with your mother, too, Kyo-kun?"

Kyo winced; he really did not like to talk about his mother. He really didn't. He strained to smile, and attempted to stir the subject away from him and his mother. "More importantly, what are you doing here all by yourself?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be with your mother?"

Tohru blushed. "I know," she said, lowering her gaze. "But…but, I came to the river bank to look for some four-leaved clovers!"

Kyo stared at her, perplexed. "Four-leaved clovers?" he repeated. "Why are you looking for them?"

"My mother is starting her new job tomorrow morning, and she's very worried that she won't be doing well. She thinks she's very unlucky…and four-leaved clovers are supposed to bring someone lots of luck! So I took the chance to go out and look for one while she's still asleep," she explained, and her excitement faltered when she saw that Kyo was smiling. "You think it's stupid, don't you, Kyo-kun? You don't believe in four-leaved clovers!"

Kyo laughed. "No, I think what you're doing is very nice!" he insisted. "I will even help you!"

Tohru beamed at him. "Thank you, Kyo-kun! I finished this side over here, but the kitty came and I got distracted!" she told him, grinning sheepishly. "I love cats; they're so cute! Cats seem to like you, too, Kyo-kun!"

Kyo was about to tell her that that was only because he's the Juunishi cat, but he caught himself. Instead, he contented himself in the knowledge that she liked cats…so she must like him as well. "I guess they do," he finally replied. "Should we start looking for four-leaved clovers now? Just how many do you want?"

"One would do. After all, they are very difficult to find."

Kyo nodded, and they both started to search. He dropped down to the green grass, and crouched on all fours, like a cat targeting a field mouse…which made Tohru giggled, and Kyo smiled in spite of himself. He wished to find the clover for Tohru; he wanted to make her happy and see her beaming at him again. He only hoped that Shishou wouldn't finish his grocery-shopping before that…and that Tohru wouldn't have to go home.

He didn't know how long they sat there amongst the grass, searching through the clovers for that special four-leaved one. They weren't finding any, but just the act of searching was in itself very exciting for them. Every few moments one of them would cry out that he or she found it, but then they would realize that it was a normal leaf, and they'd start searching again. This was the happiest Kyo had felt in a while now.

However, Kyo wasn't known to be patient, and after a while he became irritable, and was just about to give up when his eyes fell on what he'd been looking for. Slowly, carefully, he broke the leaf's green stem, and turned around to Tohru, his face gleaming with suppressed delight. "Tohru!" he called out and she looked at him. "Tohru, I found it! I found the four-leaved clover!"

Tohru's eyes widened, and she hurried over to his side. She stared at the clover for a moment, before smiling. She held out her small hands and Kyo gently placed the clover on her outstretched palms. She gazed down at it in delight, before suddenly, and before Kyo was able to react, she had thrown her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thank you, Kyo-kun! Thank…!" she said, and trailed off when the boy in her arms vanished in a puff of smoke.

When the smoke parted, she found herself staring down at an orange cat in a heap of clothes. The cat which was Kyo looked up at her in apprehension, waiting for her to react…for her to run away in fear. But then her eyes welled with tears, and she started to cry.

-

Kazuma Sohma had just finished his grocery shopping. He had bought quite a lot of things today; vegetables, miso, chicken, juice…and some treats for Kyo, as well. As he stepped out through the doors of the store, he looked around for the orange-haired kid, but he wasn't where he had left him. Kazuma didn't panic; he knew what an inquisitive kid Kyo was, and he assumed he probably strolled off somewhere…maybe down to the river.

He walked up to the edge of the slop, and surveyed the river and the grass below. He was just about to turn to look someplace else when he heard the sound of crying. He looked again and saw a little girl down by the bank, crouched before what seemed like an orange cat…and then he panicked.

Dropping his grocery bags, he stumbled as he ran down the slop to them. The girl was crying loudly, and looked pretty anguished. Kazuma couldn't blame her; to have a boy turn into a cat in front of her was probably too much for her. He quickly pulled her into his arms, and looked down sternly at the cat, who looked back at him with a melancholic gaze.

"Shishou…I didn't mean to," he croaked. "She hugged me. I couldn't stop her."

Kazuma sighed wearily, and he smoothed the girl's hair. "It's okay, kiddo, you can stop crying now," he said soothingly. "Nothing happened. Everything's okay."

The girl shook her head vigorously. "N-no! I'm sorry! I hu-hugged him a-and h-he t-turned in-into a c-cat!" she choked, tears still streaming down her face. "I d-didn't mean t-to do anything! I'm so s-sorry!!"

"Come on now; it wasn't your fault," he whispered to her. "He will turn back into a boy in a moment, and then you'll have to close your eyes because he'll be naked. You'll close them, won't you?" She giggled and nodded, and the cat just scowled. "Meanwhile, why don't you tell me your name?"

"Tohru Honda," she whispered.

"That's a pretty name," he replied. "Now, Tohru…we're going to take you back home, and we're going to call Kyo's uncle…he needs to make sure that everything is…perfect when Kyo turns back into a boy. I'll just call him now, and we'll go together to your house, alright?"

While Tohru nodded, Kazuma looked back at Kyo and saw the horror in his amber eyes. The cat shook his head in a pleading gesture, but Kazuma couldn't do anything. He could not give his ward what he wanted. The curse had been found out by this girl, and the rules demanded that no one knew of it. There was but only one thing left to do…

Kazuma took out his cell phone and dialed a number. He held the phone to his ear. He waited a moment before speaking up. "Hello, Hatori-san," he said quietly. "We have some trouble here. I'm afraid we're going to be needing your skills."

-

**A/N: Done! You hate me for this cliff-hanger, don't you? Okay, well here's the thing. If you send me a lot of reviews, I solemnly swear that I'll have this story updated by next Sunday. Good deal, isn't it? Hehe. I hope you liked it!!**

_- S. N. B._


	5. Chapter 4

**D/C: I don't own Fruits Basket.**

**Hello, and welcome to the final chapter of my story! Ahh...so cheesy. Anyway, thanks for the reviews you've sent last time, and as promised, here's a fast update! I shall leave you to read now. Enjoy!!**

**Missing Pieces**

**Chapter 4:**

"Here you go, Tohru-chan. Would you like some more onigiri?"

"No, thank you, Shigure-san."

Shigure sat down next to Hatori at the living room table, and watched along with the others as little Tohru Honda sipped at her glass of orange juice. To her left sat Kyo and his guardian, Kazuma Sohma. The atmosphere in the room couldn't have been heavier. Everyone seemed to know what was about to happen next, and they all didn't seem to like it. Tohru was blissfully ignorant...according to her, they were only here in Shigure's house to wait for Yuki, so that they could all go and have a nice breakfast at her house.

"Tohru, we have something to tell you," Kazuma said, and Kyo shifted restlessly at his side, but he ignored him. "You found out Kyo's secret today; you found out that he turns into a cat when he's hugged by a girl."

"That's really unfair," she interjected, looking rather upset. "How could I hug him if he keeps turning into a cat?"

While Kyo blushed, Kazuma just smiled wearily. "I know it's unfair, but there's really nothing we can do about it," he told her. He sighed. "What you must know here is that no one is supposed to know about this. It's a secret."

Tohru's eyes widened. "Oh! I see! You're worried that I may tell people about Kyo-kun!" she exclaimed. She thumped her chest. "I promise not to tell anyone!"

Shigure let out a low chuckle. "If only it were that easy, Tohru-chan, but we can't allow you to walk around knowing Kyo's secret," he said softly. He turned to his silent companion. "Hatori, I think we should get on with this."

"Yes, you're right, Shigure," Hatori agreed.

"No!!" Kyo protested, slamming his hands against the wooden surface of the table. Tears were brimming in the corners of his eyes, and he seemed to be shaking. "You can't do that! You can't erase Tohru's memory! Tohru is...she is my first friend! You can't do this! Don't...don't punish Tohru...this was my fault. It was all my fault."

"Kyo..." Kazuma whispered.

Tohru was looking scared now. "E-erase my memory?" she stammered. "Why would you want to do that? I don't want to forget anything...please don't erase my memory..."

Shigure reached forward and ruffled her hair. "Don't worry, Tohru-chan, no-one's going to erase your memory," he told her.

"Don't lie!" Kyo exploded. "Don't lie to her! You're going to erase her memory and you know it! Well, I won't let you! I won't let you touch Tohru! Come on, Tohru; let's get out of here."

"Kyo," Kazuma said sharply, but the boy wasn't paying any heed to him. He was scrambling up from the floor and walking around the table to Tohru. Kazuma sighed, and he, too, got up to his feet. He was at his side before he had even managed to reach the little girl, and was hoisting him up over his shoulder. "That's enough, kid."

Kyo thumped furiously against his shishou's chest. "No! Let me go! Let me go!" he yelled.

Kazuma looked down at the two adults. "I shall take him out so you can finish this quietly," he told them, and they nodded solemnly. He then smiled at Tohru. "Good bye, Tohru."

"No! Shishou, I hate you! Let go of me! You can't do this! You can't...!" Kyo was yelling, but Kazuma had already left the room and slid the door shut after him, and his words were faint now...disappearing altogether.

Tohru looked fearfully at the other two men. "What's going to happen to Kyo-kun?" she asked anxiously.

"Nothing, nothing; don't worry about Kyo," Shigure assured her, but she continued to look doubtful.

"Tohru Honda-kun," Hatori said, speaking to her for the first time since he'd met her. "Would you come here, please?" The little girl, not daring to disobey the formidable-looking doctor, quickly hurried to sit down next to him. He raised a hand to her face, and she recoiled slightly. "Don't be afraid. This won't hurt."

"Am I going to forget Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun?" she whispered.

Hatori didn't say anything. He placed a hand again to Tohru's forehead. There was a flash of light, and it was all over. The girl fell back against the cushions, unconscious, a small trail of a tear staining her left cheek. Hatori reached out and wiped that tear away. "Gomen, Tohru-kun," he said softly.

-

Yuki was panting by the time he reached Shigure's house. He had heard that Hatori was called there to perform a memory modification on a little girl...and he was almost certain about the girl's identity. Maybe if he got there in time, then he'd be able to do something...to stop Hatori from doing what he was about to do. But when he got there, he realized he was already too late; he could see Kazuma Sohma walking out of the house, holding something...or someone between his arms. Shigure and Hatori were talking to him, and he was able to pick up what they were saying.

"So unfortunate; I wish we didn't have to do this," Shigure was saying.

"So do I, Shigure-san, but it can't be helped; she found out the secret," Kazuma replied.

"Remember, Kazuma-san, you just place her next to the door, ring the bell and leave...we don't want Tohru-kun's mother to suspect anything," Hatori said quietly.

Yuki felt the blood rush up to his face. _Tohru-kun...Tohru-kun..._Tears welled up in his eyes, and he stumbled forward to the other three Sohmas, who all turned to look at him in surprise. "Tohru-kun...what did you do to Tohru-kun?" he choked.

"Yuki-kun!" Shigure exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you in the Main House? Akito-san will be terribly worried about you!"

Yuki didn't reply. He walked up to Hatori, and gently tugged at his sleeve. "Hatori-neesan, what…what did you do to Tohru-kun?" he said hoarsely.

Hatori sighed gravely. "Yuki, you must understand; I did what I had to do," he told him, and Yuki's eyes grew wide and terrified. He released his sleeve. "Yuki, I'm sorry…but she found out. She hugged Kyo. She found out about the curse, and I had to do this."

Yuki looked around at the girl…at his only friend, and he felt tears rolling down his cheeks. He looked fiercely at Hatori. "Do it to me, then!" he yelled. "If you did to her, then I want you to do it to me! If you don't, I'll just go to her house and get her to remember me! And then you'll be in trouble with Akito, and…!"

"Yuki-kun!" Shigure said sharply.

"Do it, Hatori!" Yuki cried, ignoring Shigure completely. He wasn't thinking rationally now. He just knew that he didn't want to have through the whole experience of having his friends forget him all over again. He didn't want to feel miserable again. "I want to forget her! If she doesn't remember me, then I don't want to remember her either! And you know what? I want to forget Kyo, too! Since he did this! This was his fault! His fault!"

"Yuki…" Hatori said quietly.

"Do it! No one will know!" he sobbed. He clutched onto Hatori and cried into his crisp grey jacket. "Hatori, please…"

It happened in an instance. Hatori had gently placed his hand on Yuki's head, as if to pat him…and before the other two men realized what was happening, there was a flash of flight, and Hatori was scooping the boy into his arms before he fell to the ground. Shigure and Kazuma stared at him in horror.

"Hatori-san, do you know what you've just done?" Kazuma said worriedly.

"Hatori, you'll get into trouble! Akito won't like this at all!" Shigure said urgently.

"Kyo," Hatori called out, disregarding their comments. "I know you're watching. Come here right this instance."

"Hatori-san, you can't!" Kazuma cried out in alarm.

The Juunishi dragon continued to ignore him resolutely. Kyo, indeed, seemed to have been watching from behind the sliding door of the sitting room, and now he stumbled out from behind it and trudged over to them. He looked meekly from Kazuma to the girl between his arms, and then to Hatori…and finally at Yuki. He met Hatori's gaze, and as if to tell him that he'd understood everything, he nodded.

"Very well, then," Hatori said. He knelt down to the ground. Cradling Yuki's frail body in one arm, he beckoned to Kyo to approach him, which the kid did without hesitation. "Are you sure you want to do this? Yuki made his choice. You're not obliged to do it."

"Kyo, I absolutely forbid you to do this," Kazuma said sharply.

"Shishou, if I don't do this, I will continue to hate you for what you did for as long as I live," Kyo said without looking at him, and the man made a sharp intake of breath. "Hatori, I want to forget Tohru."

Hatori didn't falter. Just as he'd done with the other two kids, he easily erased the cat's memory. He turned to Shigure as Kyo fell against him. "Shigure, help me take the kids inside," he said briskly, and Shigure quickly landed next to him and was pulling Kyo into his arms. Kazuma was still standing, rooted to the spot. "Kazuma-san, I suggest you take Tohru Honda to her home quickly before her mother starts to worry. Hurry up."

"Hatori-san, how could you?" he said hoarsely.

"I don't know about you, Kazuma-san…but kids really shouldn't suffer, should they? I did it once to Yuki; I'm not about to do it again."

-

Five years later, when Yuki crossed Tohru in the hallways of high school, for a fleeting moment, he thought he recognized her from somewhere…and so did she…but then they walked away from each other. He didn't give her a second look…but she, on the other hand, was too taken by his good looks to turn away as quickly as he did.

And when Kyo crashed in through the ceiling, and saw her…he thought she was familiar, but he, too, brushed those suspicions aside.

And there was no Kyoko to tell her daughter that she'd met those two boys as a kid.

Ignorance was bliss…sometimes.

-

**A/N: Done! I know, I know; abrupt ending. But I like it. I thought it was bittersweet, ne? Well, anyway, before I close this off, I'd like to thank all those who read and reviewed my story! Thanks! **

- _S. N. B. _


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